19 replies to this topic

[CerebralCortex]

I'd like to discuss something which is really disheartening to me and that I've been made aware of recently. Pretty consistently month after month I've been finding grey hairs and regardless of how shallow, vain, childish it makes me sound it really irks me. The reason it really bothers me is because I've, since my early twenties (now 26 I've been finding grey hairs since I was 22), tried to look after my health. For example up until last Christmas I never drank alcohol, I drink occasionally now. Also I try to watch what I eat and only indulge as a treat on special occasions. I have what I would consider a very good physique, I'm 168 pounds and 6'1" I can see my stomach muscles when standing. None of this seems to matter I still seem to be collecting grey hairs. In fairness I'm beginning to very much dislike my job which seems to have a correlation with the frequency of the discovery of the colourless follicles but I'm never overly stressed. Yet I still see these grey hairs! What really annoys me is people who couldn't care less about there health don't seem to have one grey hair on their head. I not sure what I'm looking for out of starting this thread but I'm love to see if anybody has any insight into why some people prematurely grey and others (like my father for example who has a majority of colourfull hair at 64) seem to be able to hold on to their hair colour? I have quite a grasp on why it happens myself and I don't seem to be doing anything to aggravate it except perhaps stress and occasional loneliness I guess I'm just pissed off!

[forever freedom]

Some people just develop grey hair much sooner than others. I don't think it has anything to do with the state of their health or how fast they age. They just have the genetic tendency to develop grey hair early on..

This makes sense. But i'm just a layman so i can easily be wrong.

Edited by forever freedom, 23 November 2009 - 03:55 PM.

[CerebralCortex]

Some people just develop grey hair much sooner than others. I don't think it has anything to do with the state of their health or how fast they age. They just have the genetic tendency to develop grey hair early on..

This makes sense. But i'm just a layman so i can easily be wrong.

Thanks for the response. But what genetic purpose does the apoptosis of melanocytes serve? As you said your a layman and so am I but have you heard of this? I'd love to know if there is a way to promote the production of catalase.

[Shepard]

I've been greying since I was 19. It's pretty damn sexy, so it doesn't bother me.

There are a few anecdotal reports of reversing grey hair in the Supplement section, particularly in the resveratrol, I believe.

[CerebralCortex]

I've been greying since I was 19. It's pretty damn sexy, so it doesn't bother me....

I like your attitude. I suppose if George Clooney can pull it off....

[VidX]

One guy I know (he's 50+ now). His hair became grey (fully, like died with peroxide) at like 24yo. His father - the same.. Nevertheless - he's in a great health, so I guess it's some kind of genetic factor, maybe some of these oxidation removim mechanism fault at the hair follycules or something..

[VictorBjoerk]

Epdiemiological studies has found zero correlation between time of greying of hair and health/mortality. Resveratrol may work to at least partly reverse the process.

Edited by VictorBjoerk, 28 November 2009 - 12:15 PM.

[Myka]

I have been graying since my late 20's, and being a female there is nothing sexy about it!

[niner]

My mom went gray very early, and I seem to have followed in her footsteps. Genetic? Looks like it. Fair? Not so much. At least guys can get away with some gray. These days, it's no longer weird for guys to color their hair. Finding something that looks natural is another story. At any rate, I don't think it has anything to do with how you are taking care of yourself, although your insight that it's related to a job you don't like is probably correct. If it's possible to either change the situation, or change yourself so that the situation no longer bothers you (good luck with that...), you'd probably go gray slower.

[NDM]

bald men would love to have your problem

[1kgcoffee]

I've heard that Fo-Ti can delay graying... but who knows. Maybe it's worth a shot?

[FNC]

I've been greying since I was 19. It's pretty damn sexy, so it doesn't bother me.

There are a few anecdotal reports of reversing grey hair in the Supplement section, particularly in the resveratrol, I believe.

In addition to Shepard's readings, it has also been suggested that Quercetin plays a role in reducing the graying process.
Perhaps a resveratrol/quercetin combination, in addition to eating some green apples each day may help. All the best of luck :-)

[Solarclimax]

I have been graying since my late 20's, and being a female there is nothing sexy about it!

If i thought a girl was hot and healthy grey hair would not make any difference ;-)
It's a bit weird i myself don't ever want to be grey but i know i probably will at some point, but also would not be put off by a hot chick with grey hair

Edited by Solarclimax, 16 December 2009 - 02:38 PM.

[Skötkonung]

I've heard that Fo-Ti can delay graying... but who knows. Maybe it's worth a shot?

Fo-Ti was found to be highly estrogenic; a suitable treatment for menopause in aging women. A word of caution when considering Chinese medicine, most of the claims are based on anecdote and folklore. Only consider substances with published research demonstrating their efficacy.

Grey hair is caused by a hydrogen peroxide build-up in the hair follicle. Hydrogen peroxide occurs because a reduction of an enzyme (catalase) that breaks apart hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Hair follicles cannot repair the hydrogen peroxide damage, which is also complicated by an enzyme being disrupted that leads to melanin production in hair follicles.

To halt or reverse graying hair, I would recommend investigating compounds that boost catalase in the skin:

Link: Antioxidant Health Effects of Aged Garlic Extract
"Aged Garlic Extract exerts antioxidant action by scavenging ROS, enhancing the cellular antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, and increasing glutathione in the cells."

Link: Induction of superoxide dismutase and catalase activity in differentrat tissues and protection from UVB irradiation after topicalapplication of Ginkgo biloba extracts
"Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) prepared from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba with 50% diluted alcohol was found to locally induce superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme activity in epidermis after topical application, and also to systematically increase the activity of both enzymes in the liver, heart and kidney of Sprague Dawley rats."

The Ginko extract seems promising as it was actually tested on the skin of living creatures. You might buy the paper, reconstruct the alcohol solution, and apply it to part of your scalp. Make sure to take before / after pictures.

If I was graying, as I am sure I will someday, I would certainly try it.

[n25philly]

I've been graying slowly for the past few years myself (I'm 29) I blame my coworkers. I would rather have my black hair, but as long as it stays on my head I don't care too much about how gray it gets

[niner]

If I was graying, as I am sure I will someday, I would certainly try it.

It would probably work better to start before you go gray, although that would have to be balanced against the hassle, cost, and side effects of the treatment.

[CerebralCortex]

Hey Skotkonung thanks for the info I look forward to reading through it. Another thing I've noticed is that my skin especially my hands, face and scalp are usually quite dry. Does anybody here think there is a correlation between dry skin and grey hair in the sense that the epidermis is frequently in a state of stress? Also what could I supplement my diet with to reduce skin dryness?

[Myka]

I have been graying since my late 20's, and being a female there is nothing sexy about it!

If i thought a girl was hot and healthy grey hair would not make any difference ;-)
It's a bit weird i myself don't ever want to be grey but i know i probably will at some point, but also would not be put off by a hot chick with grey hair

That is nice to know. I guess I need to start working on my hotness factor!

[Skötkonung]

Hey Skotkonung thanks for the info I look forward to reading through it. Another thing I've noticed is that my skin especially my hands, face and scalp are usually quite dry. Does anybody here think there is a correlation between dry skin and grey hair in the sense that the epidermis is frequently in a state of stress? Also what could I supplement my diet with to reduce skin dryness?

Gray hair is predominantly associated with genetic predisposition, and perhaps to a lesser extent, lifestyle. Since catalase is an endogenous antioxidant, and phenolic compounds are known to boost (or modify) the production of catalase, a lifestyle high in fresh fruits, vegetables, and green tea might go far in reducing the onset of gray hair. Ultimately, even this will be insufficient to offset genetic predisposition or stop graying completely. You are going to need pharmacological intervention.

The dry skin could be caused by a number of things, like dietary allergic reactions, lack of humidity, or even a nutrient deficiency. You could handle that issue by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables, applying moisturizer several times a day, avoiding environments with a lack of humidity or use a humidifier. If you have recently added something new to your diet or skin care regimen, it could be causing you to have dry skin.

[Skötkonung]

If I was graying, as I am sure I will someday, I would certainly try it.

It would probably work better to start before you go gray, although that would have to be balanced against the hassle, cost, and side effects of the treatment.

Yeah, we don't even know if the treatment would work. That's why I asked for photos. It would be awesome to see someone try it and document it thoroughly. I think a new delivery method would be needed ultimately, because alcohol can be absorbed through the skin.Applied to a large enough reason and you could end up drunk. That happened to me once when handling rubbing alcohol.